Britain’s friendliest bear to hit the stage in Paddington: The Musical
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A stage musical on Paddington, seen here in a film still from the 2017 movie featuring the friendly bear, is in development and set to open in Britain in 2025.
PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION
LONDON – Paddington, the well-travelled bear known for his floppy red hat and love for orange marmalade sandwiches, is taking on another venture in 2025: the theatre.
A stage musical about the friendly bear is in development and set to open in Britain in 2025, the show’s producers announced on Dec 12.
It will be adapted from the book series that made him famous, as well as the two live-action films, Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017).
The working title is Paddington: The Musical, and it “is currently undergoing a period of development and workshops”, according to a news statement.
Paddington was first introduced in a book series by English author Michael Bond that follows the good-natured bear who emigrates from Peru to England and is taken in by the Brown family. Paddington is sweet, curious and prone to mishaps.
The first book in the series, A Bear Called Paddington, was published in October 1958. More than 35 million copies of Paddington books have been sold worldwide.
The live-action films feature English actor Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington.
The first film depicts Paddington’s arrival in London and the early stages of his relationship with the Brown family. In the second film, Paddington attempts to get his Aunt Lucy a gift and ends up in prison, where, eventually, there is music, cake and dancing.
A third film, Paddington In Peru, is set to be released in Britain on Nov 8, 2024. Its United States release date is Jan 17, 2025.
The stage show’s music and lyrics will be written by English musician Tom Fletcher, a founding member of the popular British band McFly and a well-known children’s author. The musical’s book will be by British playwright Jessica Swale, whose play, Nell Gwynn, won an Olivier Award for best new comedy in 2016.
The musical’s director will be Luke Sheppard, who has worked on musicals Just For One Day, What’s New Pussycat? and Rent.
Paddington: The Musical is being produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Studiocanal and Eliza Lumley Productions on behalf of Universal Music UK. The producers did not provide details on the plot and said the cast would be announced later.
“The magic of Paddington is that, through his wide-eyed innocence, he sees the very best in humanity,” Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley said in a joint statement, “reminding us that love and kindness can triumph if we open our hearts and minds to one another.” NYTIMES
